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A. W. BURNHAM.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 388,756. Patented Aug. 28, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @EEicE.

ARTHUR W. BURNHAM, OF BALLSTON, NEW YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 388,756, dated August 28, 1888.

Application filed May .31, 1888. Serial No. 274,489. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. BURNHAM, of Ballston, in the county of Saratoga and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in automatic car-couplings; and it consists in the combination of the main jaw pivoted at its rear end to a suitable support, with a shorter jaw pivoted at its rear end to the main jaw, a loose connection for uniting the two jaws,and a lever connected to the jaws for raising or lowering them together or adjusting the up per j awindependently of the lower one, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to provide an automatic coupling for railroad-cars in which two jaws loosely connected together are made to form the coupling, and which are automatic in their operation, so as to prevent the necessity of the brakeman getting between the cars in the act of coupling or uncoupling them.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car-coupling which embodies my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective of a coupler by itself. Fig. 4 is a detached view ofa coupling link and pin which is to be used when a car having my coupler comes in contact with a car having the old form of draw-head.

A represents the body of the car, and B the head, which is pivoted at its rear end, so thatit can hefreely raised andlowered through the slot in the casting or plate C,which is secured to the end of the car,and which plate has its slotted portion to project downward in proportion to the distance that the draw-head is to drop. To the inner end of the head B is secured the usual spring for easing the jar caused by the cars drawing and running together. The outer end of this head B is shaped, as shown, so that it will couple with another head either from above or below, according to its position when the cars run together. Pivoted upon this head B is a jaw, D, which extends parallel with the outer end of the head when it is left free to move, and which has its outer end shaped like the head 13, so as to couple with the head of an adjoining car. This jaw D isalso connected to the head B by means of a chain, F, which regulates the distance that the jaw D shall be raised, and to the upper side of this jaw is fastened a chain, G, to which the inner ends of the two levers H are conneoted. The levers H are pivoted upon the end of the ear and have their outer ends to project beyond its sides far enough to be readily operated from the side of the car without the brakeman having to venture between them at any time for the purpose of coupling or uncoupling. Also secured to the end of the car is a ratchet, I, for each lever, which serve to hold the levers in any position into which they may be adjusted.

"When the head B is in the bottom of the slot in the plate 0 and one of the levers H is operated, it first raises the jaw D upward as far as the chain F will allow without in anywise affecting the head B itself. If the movement of the lever is continued, then both the jaw and the head are raised, the two being separated as far as the chain F will allow. When raised to their full height, they will not couple with another car, because the ends of the jaw and head are held in such a position that they will not engage with the approaching head.

Instead of having the usual narrow platforms at the end of freight cars, I use two blocks, J, which have holes through them,and through which holes project the outer ends of the rods L, which project from the plates 0 upon the end of the car. Upon these rods L, between the plates 0 and the blocks J, are placed springs N, which instantly move the blocks outward, after having been forced inward by the running together of the cars, as soon as they are left free to do so. The headed ends of the rods L catch in the inner ends of the openings through the blocks, and when the blocks are forced inward they move upon the bolts as far as the springs permit them. The heads of the bolts never project through the outer ends of the openings, so as to be endangered by the cars running together.

If a car having my improved coupling connected toit is brought in contact with acarhaving an old form of draw-head, then a coupling link and pin such as shown in Fig. 4 will 5 be used. The grooves in its inner side catch over the upper ends of the jaw and head, so as to be supported in position, and the link is then secured to the coupling by means of an ordinary coupling-pin, which is passed down IO through thejaw and head for that purpose.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination ofajaw, B, pivoted at its rear end to a suitable support,with the jaw 15 D, pivoted at its rear end to the jaw B, a loose 

